Bougainvillea's Bright Bracts

Photo by Lisa E White

Bougainvillea come to Scottsdale from South America, where they were named after French Navy Admiral de Bougainville in the 18th century, not the botanist that first described them, Commerçon.  Historical records (okay, Wikipedia) say it was Jeanne Baré, Commerçon's lover, who probably was the first European to "discover" them, as she had been sneaked on board dressed as a man, making her the first woman to circumnavigate the globe.  Like poinsettias, the color comes from the colorful leaf-like bracts, not the tiny white flowers.  In addition to the typical bright magenta bracts, colors include pink, red, orange, salmon, purple and white.  Scottsdale landscapes are ablaze this time of year with huge bushes of bougainvillea.  Like many of the plants that thrive in this hot climate, they have thorns almost an inch long, making pruning an unpleasant task.  I hope for another mild winter, so they stay evergreen, and I can shed less blood when I cut them back.  Every rose has its thorn . . .